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National TV (Georgeland)
National TV '''is a nation-wide private television broadcaster in Georgeland. The station broadcasts around the country with the callsign '''TV-1; for this reason, it is often referred to as Channel One. National TV was launched in 1993 as a single, unified national network - prior to this, all commercial stations had been networks of local affiliates. National TV was concieved and executed as a sole channel broadcasting identical content around the country. As of 2019, National TV operates two channels - TV-1, its primary channel and NAT, which offers additional content, reruns and older programming. History National TV came about as a result of John Hackett selling his 25% stake in Five UIG in 1990. Hackett had bought his stake from Colin Arkwright in 1985 when the network was struggling and on the verge of insolvency; his financial support, plus the appointment of Graeme Powers as Managing Director, were credited with turning Five around. By 1990, Hackett's shares had quintupled in value, and he sold his stake in five, valued at some half a billion dollars, having been purchased for only 100 million. Hackett used the bulk of his buyout to fund the country's sixth commercial network. His primary challenge was securing federal government permission and licensing, as telecommunications was strictly regulated. It took Hackett several years to secure licensing agreements; meanwhile, he had been negotiating with foreign networks for licensing contracts for premier programming. With the clearance of Communications Minister David Spratt secured in May 1992, Hackett announced the new network would begin transmissions the next year. The move was immediately challenged in court by the existing five commercial networks, who claimed the Broadcasting and Licensing Act 1984 had been incorrectly amended, and that the new network represented an abuse of the government's regulatory power. The suit reached the Supreme Court on 17 December 1992. The Court ruled, by a 5-2 margin, that the Act had been applied properly and the new network could proceed. Controversy continued however, with reports in January and February that Spratt, as minister, had been improperly infuenced by Hackett and Hackett's son Peter. A report in the'' Doubledance Times revealed the Hacketts had met with Spratt sixteen times over a five-week period. While there was no implication of criminality, Spratt's reputation was tainted, and in a reshuffle later in 1993 he was moved to the less-sensitive Education portfolio. The new network began transmission on 17 June 1993. Due to Hackett's licensing arrangements with foreign networks, it was able to secure some of the most popular programming of the 1990s, including ''Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Beverly Hills 90210 ''and Law and Order. An innovation of National TV, at Hackett's instigation, was a significant drop in waiting times for Georgelanders to see new TV programs. Prior to the launch of National, the average time between a show's US or UK airdate and airdate in Georgeland had been seventeen months. Hackett's licensing arrangements cut this time in half, and was credited with a trend towards more synchronised content. The network's early success was promising, and continued after National secured the rights to B''uffy the Vampire Slayer ''in 1998. However, the network ran afoul of Georgeland's local content laws, which required 50% of all aired programming to be locally produced. It became increasingly difficult to reach this quota while more established networks compensated for National's licensing of international content with high-quality, expensively-produced local content of their own. While ratings remained high for international flagship programs, the network's advertising and sales revenue trended downwards throughout the mid-1990s. To keep the network afloat and isolate himself from financial losses, Hackett sold 40% of his stake in National over the 1995-1999 period. The primary buyer was Hank Davis, erstwhile one of Hackett's biggest rivals; the rivalry turned into a corporate partnership that has remained. National was one of the first networks to embrace the emergence of the internet. In 2000 it became the first TV network to offer an online news service in Georgeland, and its streaming, on-demand platform was launched in 2010, some time before the other commercial networks. The year 2010 also saw two significant corporate developments. Peter Hackett was appointed as President and CEO of the company, and independent Coffee Media purchased a 20% stake in the network from the collapsed Syndicate Telecom. Management National TV is a private company. John Hackett's National TV Group is the 60% stakeholder. Hackett was originally the sole owner, but in order to support the company in the 1990s he gradually sold some of his stake. Davis Media, owned by Hackett's fomer rival Hank Davis, now owns 20% of National TV with the final twenty percent having been acquired by Coffee Media Holdings in 2010. The company's board appoints a President and CEO, as well as a Chair; as of 2019, Peter Hackett is President and CEO while Angeline Caruana is Chair of the Board. The Board also appoints a Programming Director and Corporate Director, both of which report to the President. As of 2019, the Programming Director is Mike Steiner and the Corporate Director is Stephen Mueller. Programming Local Apart from its news division, National TV broadcasts a variety of local content on both its channels, and makes most of this local content available on its streaming app. Its current local programming lineup includes ''Destination, Football Nation, Renovation Nation, Win or Lose, Saturday with Mark and Andy, Rhythm Brigade, Caravan Cavalcade, Strictly Dancing, Wife Town, UFO Hunters, Extreme Mums, Married to the Neighbours ''and Pets From Hell. Due to a licensing arrangement, the local versions of ''The Bachelor ''and The Bachelorette'' are also broadcast on National. International The majority of National's international programming is sourced from deals with film studios Miramax and MGM, US network ABC, Britain's Channel Five, and Australia's Seven Network. Popular international programs include Australian soap'' Home and Away, British drama series Suspects, and American programs including ''Gray's Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, The Bachelor ''and The Bachelorette (US versions), Desperate Housewives, Scrubs and Modern Family. '' News & current affairs Category:Georgeland Category:Television in Georgeland